In a radio access network (RAN), a wireless communication device (WCD) is typically served by a wireless coverage area, and uses this wireless coverage area to communicate with other networked entities. Normally, a base transceiver station radiates to define one or more such wireless coverage areas. Thus, a RAN may support anywhere from one to dozens or more wireless coverage areas.
The WCD may move from location to location, and the radio characteristics of the air interface between the WCD and the base station may change. In response to these events, the WCD, the RAN, or both, may determine that the WCD would benefit from being assigned to a different wireless coverage area. The process in which the WCD switches from using one wireless coverage area to using another wireless coverage area is called a handoff.
Despite any efforts that the RAN may make to balance load between its wireless coverage areas, it is possible for the WCD to be handed off to a new wireless coverage area that has less capacity than the wireless coverage area to which WCD was previously assigned. This may have a deleterious impact on applications executing on the WCD, especially high bit rate, real time applications, such as interactive or streaming voice, audio, or video. Packets may be dropped, resulting in poor media quality and a frustrating user experience.